


Epilogue: Make Me a Rainbow (Shine Down on my Mother)

by hollyandvice (hiasobi_writes)



Series: The Ballad of a Dove [12]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, M/M, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 16:06:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13170396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiasobi_writes/pseuds/hollyandvice
Summary: "He has a point, Princess," Shiro says. Everyone in the room turns to look at him. "I can't speak for Alteans, but Humans aren't built for this kind of prolonged stress. I think a break would do us all some good."Keith bargains for a vacation for the team and gets something a little extra for his trouble.





	Epilogue: Make Me a Rainbow (Shine Down on my Mother)

**Author's Note:**

> [Reblog from here!](http://hollyandvice.tumblr.com/post/169007526768/) Fic and series titles from [If I Die Young by The Band Perry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NJqUN9TClM).

Allura looks taken aback when Keith brings it up. "A vacation?"

Keith nods. "We're all tired. We haven't been able to rest in years, _really_ rest. Now, for the first time, we have a chance to breathe again. To take a rest. The Empire may not be completely in shambles yet--we knew that wasn't going to happen right away--but it will be awhile before we know what form Voltron will be needed in again. There's still work to do, I'm not denying that, but. We need a chance to breathe again."

Lance swallows, not trusting himself to speak. He glances around the room instead, trying to gauge everyone's reactions. Hunk and Pidge look surprised, but Shiro looks contemplative, as though he's actually considering the idea. Lance's heart leaps into his throat, because if Shiro's on their side--

"He has a point, Princess," Shiro says. Everyone in the room turns to look at him. "I can't speak for Alteans, but Humans aren't built for this kind of prolonged stress. I think a break would do us all some good."

"I'd--" Pidge starts, then stops, as though they're considering holding back. But Shiro nods at them, and, with a swallow, they continue. "I'd like to see my family. Let them know I'm okay."

"Same here," Hunk says, eyes slanting over to Lance. "I know they're probably worried about me."

"We have no idea what story the Garrison put out to cover their disappearances," Keith says, "and even if Pidge's brother and father told Hunk and Lance's families that they're alive, there's no guarantee that they believe them. They must want to see them and know that they're safe."

Lance swallows, trying to find his words. It had been his desperation, his heartbreak that had led to Keith proposing this, and if Lance can't even stand at his side to support the idea--

"Please, Princess." Lance's voice falls like a pebble in a still pond, and the whole room seems to be holding its breath while they wait for her answer.

All at once, her face softens. "I certainly don't see why a brief reprieve can't be arranged."

Lance is so relieved and grateful that, for the first time in years, he's seized with the urge to kiss the Princess. When he opens his mouth to speak, though, her eyes make it clear that there is no need. She understands his gratitude. Slowly, he closes his mouth, his eyes steady on her. She nods once, and he knows that's all that needs to pass between them. So he turns to Keith, whose face surely matches Lance's in its relief and gratitude. Neither of them need to say anything. They both know this was worth it.

Keith stays behind after the meeting, making a beeline for Allura, and Lance wouldn't think anything of it except for the way Shiro's hanging back too. It's like they're both in on a secret that Lance isn't aware of, and for a moment he thinks of staying behind too.

But then Hunk slaps him firmly on the back, grinning and saying something about how it's about time they got to go home and see their families and Lance lets himself be swept up in the fervor and joy and all but forgets about Keith staying behind.

\----

It takes two cycles' worth of preparation for Lance to realize Keith isn't packing the way he and Hunk and Pidge are. A quick check affirms that Shiro doesn't seem to be either, which, coupled with the fact that he's caught the two of them arguing in undertones in the halls, convinces Lance that there's something going on here that he doesn't know about. He considers waiting Keith out, but if what's going on is what Lance _thinks_ is going on, they don't have a lot of time left for Keith to come clean.

Half a cycle before they're due to wormhole their way to Earth, Lance has a lengthy conversation with Allura that confirms his suspicions. He waits until Keith's half asleep in bed beside him to broach the subject.

"You're not coming back to Earth, are you?"

Keith startles, suddenly wide awake. He sits bolt upright, staring down at Lance. "What?"

Lance sits up beside Keith. "Don't play dumb. I know you haven't been packing. Neither has Shiro. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you two have been arguing about who's going to stay on the ship with the Princess."

"Lance--"

"I know you don't have much of a family, but Earth is your _home_ , don't you want to--"

"It doesn't mean as much to me as it does to you, Lance. It's not that I don't have much of a family, it's that I _don't_ have a family. Shiro was the closest thing I had to family before you and the rest of the team. I don't have anything to go back to. Not like the rest of you do."

Lance blinks, feeling the shame and regret curling through the bond. Immediately he regrets the way he'd pressured Keith, the way he'd assumed--

"You're my family, Lance. You and the team. I don't need anything else."

Lance looks away. "You're… you're sure?"

"Shiro's family hasn't seen him in years. They don't even know he's alive since he told Pidge's family not to tell them. I need to be the one to stay behind with the castle in case something happens."

"And if--" Lance cuts himself off, not wanting to pressure Keith again.

But Keith seems to feel Lance's quiet urgency through the bond, and he reaches out, turning Lance to face him. "If?" he asks.

"If Allura said she's confident she can get all of us to the ship fast enough if there's a crisis… would you come to Earth then?"

Keith swallows, looking away again. "I don't have anything to go home to, Lance. Any _one_ to go home to. I don't--"

"Come with me," Lance blurts out, the words coming without thought.

Keith turns to him, eyes wide and confused. "Wh… what?"

Lance swallows, gathering his courage. "Come with me," he whispers, his fingers drifting to his artificial leg. "I'm going to have a hell of a lot to explain to them. It… it would be nice to have someone with me to fill in the details."

"But Lance… they're your _family_. They're your family and I'm just--"

"You're not _just_ anything, Keith," Lance interrupts harshly. He holds his left hand up decisively, the ring on it glinting. "You're my fiancé. You're the man that saved me. You're the reason I'm still alive. I want them to know you, Keith, and not just from what I tell them about you. I want them to really know you."

Keith's eyes are wide, and he looks a bit stunned. "You… you mean it?"

Lance rolls his eyes. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

Keith's face goes shy, and he looks away. "I mean. If you're really sure."

"I am."

"And Allura--"

"--said it was fine. Please, Keith," Lance adds when he sees the way Keith is wavering. "I want you there."

That seems to be all it takes for Keith to cave. "Alright," he says softly. "Alright."

Lance just smiles back. 

\----

Lance notices that Keith doesn't pack much, though he isn't sure if that's because Keith doesn't have much he wants to bring, or because he doesn't think he'll be staying long. Lance almost asks, but the tightness in Keith's shoulders and the near-silence resonating down the bond is enough to have him holding his tongue.

They drop Pidge off first, their family coming out to meet them, Matt and their dad bringing their mom out to meet the team. The whole family is warm and welcoming, but the team doesn't stay long. They drop Hunk off next, and then it's Lance and Keith's turn.

Lance turns to meet Allura's eye as she drops him and Keith off a fifteen minute walk from his house. "You promise you'll handle that thing we talked about?" he asks.

Allura smiles, something warm and knowing in her eyes. "Of course, Lance. You can be sure of it."

Lance grins back. "Good. Then we'll see you in ten cycles, Allura."

Allura nods, smiling briefly at Keith before heading back into the ship. Shiro waves at them, something triumphant in his eyes.

"You asked Allura to take Shiro home instead of letting him stay on the ship, didn't you?"

Lance laughs at the tone in Keith's words. "Damn right I did!"

Keith laughs too, sounding relaxed for the first time since Lance had convinced him to come with him to see his family. "Good," Keith says. "He needs it just as much as the rest of us."

Lance smiles at Keith for a long moment, then leans in and presses a kiss to his temple. "Thanks," he says softly.

Keith blinks at him. "For what?"

"For coming with me. I know you're nervous, but you came anyway. Thank you."

Keith looks away, but Lance can imagine the sheepish smile on his face. "Sure thing."

The closer they get to his childhood home, the more nervous Lance gets. When they get to the end of the block, Lance actually stops short, swallowing down the rising tension and nervousness in his throat. Keith stops too, and stands at his side. He doesn't speak, just stands there, letting his presence smooth through the bond, leeching some of the tension from Lance's bones. "I don't--" Lance stops short, swallowing down the words. Keith doesn't say anything. He just brushes his fingertips against the back of Lance's wrist in a silent gesture of support. "I don't know if I can do this."

Keith nods. "Okay. Do you want to go back?"

That makes the tension in his chest even tighter. "No," he says immediately.

Keith nods again. "Okay. Do you want to wait here for a minute before we keep going?"

Lance rolls that idea around for a minute. "Yes."

"Okay."

Keith doesn't say anything more. He stands at Lance's side, silent and patient as Lance quietly makes his way through three different cycles of panicked frenzy. Each time, Keith soothes him silently through the bond, and Lance lets him.

Finally, a solid ten minutes later, Lance feels the last of the fear lessen to a quiet simmer from the raging bonfire it had been before. He reaches out and takes Keith's hand, taking strength from his partner. Keith smiles up at him. "Yeah?" he asks softly.

Lance can't quite find the words to reply, but he nods his assent. Keith smiles and takes the first step forward, tugging Lance along behind him gently. Lance stumbles after him for a few steps, but before they've made it past the third house, he's the one dragging a laughing Keith behind him. This is going to be fine. This is going to be _fine_.

Lance stumbles up to the house, his fingers finding the doorknob automatically. He pauses for a moment, then thinks better of charging into the house uninvited. He rings the doorbell, then raps on the door itself three times.

When the door opens, Lance feels the breath leave his chest. His mother is just as beautiful as she always was, and yet altogether more so for the years since he last saw her. She stares at him for a long moment, polite confusion melting into shocked recognition. "Mijo…" she whispers.

The single word does Lance in. He dives into his mother's arms, clinging to her as he does so. "Mamá," he whispers. She tightens her grip around his shoulders, and he sinks into her embrace. "Mamá, I'm here."

The sound she makes is somewhere between a sob and a laugh, and she draws back, calling out to his father as she drags him into the house. Lance only just remembers to reach out for Keith and drag him into the house after him. This is going to be perfect.

\----

It takes less than twenty minutes to get the whole family into the house, all three of Lance's sisters crowding in. Luisa comes with her husband and both her children; Maria comes with her daughter, a baby in her arms, and her husband at her back; Ana comes with a boyfriend Lance has never met. He briefly considers taking the poor boy to task, but the relief on Ana's face at seeing him whole and alive and the gentle way her boyfriend looks at her is enough to make Lance willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Everyone's talking over everyone else, Lance at the center of the whirlwind of his family, and he can't even regret it. They talk and talk and talk, sharing everything that he's missed, and, at one point, Lance thinks he may get away without revealing exactly how much of a changed man he is.

Then Carla drags Keith into the eye of the maelstrom and grabs at Lance's sleeve. "Uncle Lance, Uncle Lance," she says, her eyes wide and curious, "who's this?"

Lance can't stop the laugh that falls from his lips. "That's Keith," he says, remembering the other half of the reason he'd wanted to come home, "and I shouldn't be surprised he's been lurking in the corner since we got here."

Keith gives him a sour look, but it does nothing to cool the warmth in Lance's chest.

His mother looks between the two of them, confusion on her face. "A friend?" she asks.

That tightens something in Lance's stomach, a vivid reminder that there's so much his mother doesn't know about him and what he's been through in the last few years.

She seems to understand immediately. "More than a friend," she says, something knowing in her eyes.

Lance stares at her, remembering the way she'd always frowned at him every time they'd skirted around the topic of his sexuality. The whole room has gone silent at her words, all eyes going to Lance. Lance swallows, but Keith reaches out to him, fingertips brushing against the back of his wrist in the same way they had on their way in. It lets Lance stand a little taller, feel a little more confident. "My fiancé," he admits cautiously.

A brief, slight widening of his mother's eyes is the only indication that she's surprised at or concerned about his proclamation, but the look dissolves almost immediately and she turns to Keith, a smile splitting her face. "Another son-in-law!" she says, reaching out to cup Keith's face in her hands. "Welcome to the family, my boy."

The look of shocked confusion on Keith's face gives Lance the strength to hold himself together. This isn't how he'd intended to tell anyone, but it's how it happened, and there's no going back now. All he can do now is face the future and stand by Keith the only way he knows how.

Eventually Carla drags Keith out back, and though Keith throws Lance a pleading look, Lance doesn't try to stop her. If Keith can win Carla over, the rest of the family will be a cinch. Maria and Luisa shoo their husbands out back as well as they roll up their sleeves and go to work in the kitchen, sending Manuel and Alicia out back soon enough as well. Ana and her boyfriend leave pretty soon after that, citing early morning classes to beg off dinner. Lance's mother gives her husband one look, and that seems to be all the instruction he needs. He heads out back as well, and then it's just Lance and his mother.

"Mijo," she says, voice soft and not a little desperate. "Where have you been?"

Lance winces. "It's. It's a bit of a long story, Mamá. And not a pretty one."

Lance should have known better than to tell his mother as much. Instead of balking, her jaw goes tight and she stands up a little straighter. "You think I can't handle it?"

"No, Mamá," Lance says quickly. "No, that's not it at all. It's not that I don't think you can handle it. It's that you shouldn't have to."

This too seems to have been the wrong thing to say. His mother just stands up a little taller and reaches out for his hand. "You will tell me everything." Her tone makes it clear that she will accept no arguments. Then again, Lance has never been that good at arguing with his mother in the first place.

He takes her hand.

\----

When Keith finds them in the study an hour or two later, Lance's voice is starting to go hoarse, and he's pretty sure his mother doesn't believe most of what he's saying, even if he's leaving out some of the more spectacular things he's experienced. She looks up at Keith with something like hope in her eyes.

"He's messing with me, isn't he?" she asks in a break in Lance's storytelling. "He's messing with me. You haven't-- you didn't-- you _aren't_ \--"

Keith purses his lips. "If he's told you we have been fighting aliens and that we did take down the most evil empire in the galaxy and that we are the paladins of Voltron, then no, he's not messing with you."

She shakes her head, as though she'd hoped for a different answer. "Why did I even-- there's no reason for me to believe you."

Lance opens his mouth to protest, but Keith beats him to it. "Mrs. Gonzalez," he says, his voice and face earnest. "Lance may be a prankster, but I assure you I am not." Lance squawks at the accusation, but Keith ignores him, forging ahead. "I have nothing to gain and everything to lose from deceiving you. If I want to keep your son in my life, I can only do so by being forthright and honest with you, or he is sure to want nothing more to do with me. And I assure you, I want your son in my life. He wanted to spare you the pain, but he also knows that the truth will set us all free, and I am certain that he has spared little in his retelling of our adventures, and what little he has hidden was hidden only for your sake."

His mother looks up sharply at him then, and he knows she can see the truth of Keith's statement in his eyes. Her own features promise retribution, but she looks back down at Keith instead of saying anything.

"I swear to you, everything that has happened, everything that Lance has done, all of it has been to keep you and your family and this planet safe."

Lance's mother stares down at Keith for a long time. She seems to be gauging his trustworthiness, and Lance can only hope that she deems him as honest as Lance knows him to be. Eventually, she looks back up at Lance. "Keep going," she says, her voice low and dangerous. "And this time, don't leave anything out."

Lance does exactly as asked. This time, though, he does so with Keith at his side to fill in crucial details and make sure his mother believes everything he's saying. She goes paler and paler the more they speak, but she seems much more believing with Keith at Lance's side than she had when it was just Lance. She doesn't seem happy or relieved or anything other than quietly resigned, but she's listening, and that might be the most important thing of all.

As he gets to the time since his stint in Galran captivity, Lance finds himself faltering more and more in his telling. He can feel Child pressing up against the back of his consciousness, and the urge to let him come to the forefront is almost overpowering. He doesn't notice that he's been twisting his fingers in Keith's sleeve until Keith reaches out and twines their fingers together instead.

"Go ahead," Keith says softly. "Let him out. It's okay. I can take over for awhile."

Lance frowns. "You sure?"

"Yeah," Keith says with an encouraging nod. "It's been ages since you let him out. It might even help your mom understand better."

Lance swallows, glancing once at his mother before he looks back over at Keith. "Okay," he says. Then he lets Child take over.

The thing about letting Child take over is that it isn't like he's completely disconnected from what's going on. He still gets vague impressions and sensations and an understanding of what's happening around him. But he can't affect what's going on and he can't do anything but let the emotions and actions and reactions flow over him like he's lying at the bottom of a creekbed. It's soothing. It's relaxing. It's exactly what he needed.

Eventually Keith pulls him back up with a gentle tug at their bond. His mother looks thoughtful, and Lance wonders how much Keith told her, but, frankly, he's too tired to ask. He's not too tired to answer one last question from his mother.

"How long will you boys be staying with us?" she asks.

Keith glances over at Lance, clearly deferring to him on this front. Lance sighs. "Only about ten days," he says quietly. "We still have responsibilities as paladins."

His mother purses her lips, but she nods in what seems to be resignation. "Alright," she says. "Your room's still there, still made up the way you left it. We've kept it clean enough that you should be able to take a rest while your sisters and I finish up with dinner. I'll come get you when it's ready."

Lance knows a dismissal when he hears one. He takes Keith by the hand and helps him to his feet, taking him to his old bedroom so they can rest after their travels and after recounting the last few years.

Walking into the room is like walking into a time capsule. It's a vivid reminder of everything he was and no longer is. It hits him like a punch to the gut, and for a second he doesn't think he's going to make it into the room.

Then Keith's hand comes to rest at the base of his spine, a warm, soothing weight, and something in him settles. He leans into Keith's touch, letting himself relax. He takes a moment to recenter and to calm himself, before he turns into Keith, pressing his face into the juncture of Keith's neck and shoulder.

"Thank you," he murmurs. Keith's hands come up to wrap around Lance's back, and he can feel the question resonating down the bond. "For coming to find me," he adds. "I know I was probably sending all kinds of mixed signals down the bond, but… thank you. Having you there helped."

He feels Keith nod against him. "It's why I'm here, Lance. I'm not going anywhere."

Lance is too tired to parse the meaning behind Keith's words. He just nods against Keith and lets Keith lead him to the bed. They have time to talk through all the rest.

\----

Three days later, very little of consequence has really been discussed. Keith has been tight-lipped every time Lance has even tried to broach the topic of the words he'd said on their first night, and Lance hasn't had the strength or the confidence to ask his mother about what she thinks of Keith.

The tension is there, simmering under the surface, but Lance and his mother have both always been the type to keep the peace, so they keep everything bottled up inside and don't say anything. It isn't until they're out on the beach, watching Keith chase Carla and Manuel around across the sand and into the lapping of the waves that Lance finds the courage to ask. Even then, it isn't intentional. The words spill over his lips before he can think to stop them.

"Why don't you care?"

His mother turns to look at him, confusion in her eyes. "Care about what, mijo?"

"That he's a boy. Why don't you care?"

She's silent for a long time. Eventually, he can feel her turn away to look over at where Keith has been dragged completely into the water by Carla and Manuel. "I thought I'd lost you, Lance. I thought you were dead or worse. To know that you're alive… to know that you've found someone you can be _happy_ with…." She shakes her head. "I'm sorry I ever made you feel like you had to hide that part of you. As long as I know you're alive and happy, there is little else I will want for."

Lance feels the thickness in his throat holding back the words he knows he needs to say. It takes a monumental effort, but he does manage to force two different words past his lips instead of the three he knows he should say. "Thank you," he whispers.

She reaches out, clasping at his elbow. "I know you two are leaving soon. I know this isn't going to be permanent. But, please. Please, just. Say goodbye this time, won't you?"

Lance closes his eyes. It's been hard enough being away from his family without having said goodbye to them last time. If he actually has to let them send him off…. He swallows down his selfishness and nods. "Okay, Mamá," he whispers. "Okay."

She nods, then smacks him on the back. "Now go get that man of yours," she says. "The poor boy needs saving from your sobrinos."

Lance laughs at her words, turning to smile down at where Keith is still playing with Carla and Manuel. He looks awkward but happy, and it sets a light ablaze in his chest. He glances at his mother one last time, and she nods at him, encouraging him forward.

He wastes no time in rushing down to the water's edge and Keith's side.

Lance catches Keith around the waist while he chases after Carla, stopping him in his tracks. "Lance!" Keith yells with a laugh, "you're helping her cheat! Let me--"

"Marry me," Lance whispers against Keith's temple.

That seems to at once silence Keith and startle him into action. He twists around in Lance's arms, his eyes wide and stunned while he stares up at Lance. "What?" he breathes.

Lance smiles, knowing that everything he feels for Keith is showing on his face. "Marry me," he says again, before reaching up to cup Keith's face in his hands. "Marry me."

Keith laughs again, strangled and a little breathless. "I already told you I would, you idiot," he chokes out, his voice weak and stunned.

Lance kisses Keith, hard and certain as he chases the salt on his lips. "Marry me now," he says. "Let me show my family how much I love you."

Keith's face softens, and he reaches up, tucking Lance's hair behind his ear. "Lance," he says gently, "I think they already know."

"Then let them help me celebrate how much I love you. Let them welcome you into the family, the Gonzalez way." He smiles, thumbs stroking over Keith's cheeks. "Let them see why I love you so much."

Keith swallows, and Lance can see him wavering. "We only have a week before we have to report back to the castle. Is that really enough time to--"

Lance can't help himself. He laughs.

Keith looks disgruntled. "What? I'm serious! How much can we really put together in a week?"

Lance forces himself to stop laughing, smirking at Keith. "Oh, Keith. You underestimate what my sisters can do if they put their minds to it."

Keith blanches, looking over at Luisa and Maria. He swallows, and Lance can feel his nerves through their bond. He lets his face soften, and he turns Keith back to face him.

"You don't have to, you know. I know it's a lot to take in."

Keith shakes his head. "It's not that, it's just." He looks away, rubbing a hand over his bare arm. "What if I mess this up?"

Lance blinks. "Mess what up?"

"You know," he says, gesturing to the space between them. "Us."

For a second, Lance wants to burst out laughing again at the utter ridiculousness of what Keith's saying. But he can feel the sincerity resonating in his chest, insisting that Keith is serious. Insisting that Keith honestly thinks that there's something he could do to break them up.

It's at once completely infuriating and utterly endearing.

Lance tilts Keith's face up to him, tugging playfully at his cheeks. "What makes you think I won't be the one to mess this up?"

Keith's face immediately goes red, indignance in every line of his features. "Lance, you could _never_ \--"

"Neither could you." Keith blinks at Lance's easy assertion, looking stunned. Lance smiles, tugging at Keith's cheeks again. "You saved me from the clutches of the Galra. You broke a scientifically unbreakable soulbond. Our souls are literally as close as any other documented soulbond. And you think you could ever do anything to separate us?" Keith blinks, blush receding as his features shift into a sheepish sort of hope. "And I swear, if you think I'm _ever_ going to let you go, you've got another thing coming."

Keith smiles, his whole face softening. "One week, huh?"

Lance laughs. "Yeah. You ready for a whirlwind?" Keith just smiles back, looking giddy, and Lance can't stop himself from leaning in to press a kiss against Keith's lips as the waves lap at their ankles. It will be a week before Allura comes back with the rest of the paladins, and Lance wouldn't ask Keith to do this without them, but this, _them_ , that's what this should be about. He trusts Maria and Luisa implicitly, and he knows this will be a ceremony to remember. They still have a universe to save, still have so much work ahead of them, but if they can have this, each other, the way they've always wanted, then maybe the rest won't matter quite as much.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! This last piece took awhile to put out because it meant finally saying goodbye to this series, and that took a lot more guts than I realized it would. But, here we are, done with this little adventure I started almost a year and a half ago. Thanks to everyone that's come along with me on this ride!!
> 
> [Come hang with me on tumblr!!](http://hollyandvice.tumblr.com/)


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